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This idea comes from the state's Transportation Strategy Board. They conducted a two-year, $1 million study, which was presented in February. The 500-page final report examined eight possible tolling scenarios, from tolling all limited-access roads to creating special toll lanes on otherwise free highways.

And what happened to the study? What always happens: Nothing. The plan is to spend the next several years talking and thinking about it. And it's not going anywhere for at least the next year -- Gov. Rell is opposed to reinstituting tolls.

I support tolling for two reasons, both of which will attract new businesses to Connecticut -- and with them, jobs.

Tolls will relieve congestion

Traffic through the Stamford-Bridgeport corridor is projected to increase to the point that, by 2030, it will resemble the infinite-parking-lot highways of Los Angeles today. If you were a CEO, would you want to relocate your business to an area like that? By charging higher tolls during peak hours, we will move commuters to alternative schedules and public transportation.

Tolls will fund transportation

Our current budgets for roads and transit are underfunded, and in this economy, it will only grow worse. Revenue from tolls will let us add the capacity we need -- most importantly, on Connecticut's rails. Improved commuter train service (including the proposed link between New Haven, Hartford and Springfield, Mass.) will foster business growth along our transportation corridors and protect our rural areas from sprawl.

There is another reason I support tolls: fairness. When we drive the New York Thruway or Massachusetts Turnpike, we're tossing our money into the coffers of those border states. Yet when cars and trucks cross into Connecticut, we foot the bill. Why shouldn't they pony up here as we do there?

Tolls will improve our quality of life and bring jobs to Connecticut. But, to be honest, some obstacles remain before we can implement them.

First is the federal government's stated goal of keeping the interstates toll-free. They withhold highway dollars from states that impose them. However, exemptions are available for tolling that serves other federal aims, such as reducing congestion and improving transit. We should pursue these.

All-electronic tolling also raises some privacy issues. But this question can be resolved through the same kind data encryption and protection policies that shield the records of EZ-Pass users.

Then there are the inevitable objections from those who will have to pay. But with unmanageable, almost unimaginable congestion in the future, I believe those who pay tolls during peak hours will benefit from easier commutes. What about those who can't afford the added burden? With improved public transit, there will be more affordable commuting alternatives to the highways. And for the lowest wage earners, we can find ways to offset the cost.

Another often-heard local objection comes from municipalities surrounding the proposed tolls, which are worried about traffic being diverted to their roads. But there are ways to mitigate this through traffic management and reconfiguration of some intersections. And of course these communities should be afforded a share of the revenues for their own transportation management.

Nobody likes to pay tolls. But with unsustainable congestion looming, and the ongoing need to attract jobs and businesses, a smart approach to tolling could be the answer Connecticut is looking for.